1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of playing a wagering game with any gaming format (e.g., cards, dice, symbols, table games and video games), such as playing card wagering games that can be played with a standard deck of cards or by video machine technology in a casino, commercial card room or home environment. In particular, the invention relates to a method and apparatus for playing a wagering game and provides players the opportunity to take or leave a portion of their wager during the course of the game and before conclusion of play. A preferred game is a variation of poker such as a variant of five-card stud poker. In one form of the invention, one or more wild symbols are provided in a game that allows a player to withdraw a portion of this bet. The presence of wild symbols increases the hit frequency of certain symbol combinations, providing a higher level of player interest in the game.
2. Background of the Art
There are many wagering games used for gambling. Such games should be exciting to arouse players""interest and should be uncomplicated so the games can be understood easily by a large number of players. Ideally, the games should include more than one wagering opportunity during the course of the game, yet be able to be played rapidly to a wager resolving outcome. Exciting play, the opportunity to make more than one wager and rapid wager resolution enhance players""interest and enjoyment because the frequency of betting opportunities and bet resolutions is increased.
Wagering games, particularly those intended primarily for play in casinos, should provide players with a sense of participation and control, the opportunity to make decisions, and reasonable odds of winning, even though the odds favor the casino, house, dealer or banker. The game must also meet the requirements of regulatory agencies.
Wagering games, including wagering games for casino play, with multiple wagering opportunities are known. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,861,041 and 5,087,405 (both to Jones et al.) disclose methods and apparatus for progressive jackpot gaming, respectively. The former patent discloses that a player may make an additional wager at the beginning of a hand, the outcome of the additional wager being determined by a predetermined arrangement of cards in the player""s hand. U.S. Pat. No. 4,836,553 (to Suttle and Jones) discloses a modified version of a five card stud poker game.
Additional symbols may be added to the usual means of playing a game to increase wagering opportunities. This is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,098,107 (to Boylan et al.). Somewhat similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,667,757 (to Holmberg) discloses a board game and apparatus, including a way to allow a player to make a choice with respect to several different alternative types of game play and risk bearing strategies. The alternative play is based on providing cards with additional symbols and therefore, a new set of odds. The game and apparatus disclosed by Holmberg requires new sets of rules, relatively complicated procedures and time for a player to learn the game.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,154,429 (to LeVasseur) involves the dealer playing multiple hands against a player""s single hand, whereby the number of hands played in the same amount of time is increased.
The desired attributes of wagering games outlined above are in large measure provided by the method and apparatus for playing a wagering game in accordance with the present invention. The game is uncomplicated, exciting and provides the opportunity for players to make multiple wagers and choices regarding those wagers. In one example of the invention, a wild card or multiple wild cards are provided to increase the frequency of occurrence of predetermined winning card combinations in a casino card game. For example, in the practice of the invention the Let It Ride Bonus(copyright) poker game is enhanced by adding wild cards such as a single joker, or by declaring certain cards wild, such as all four deuces, for example.
The wagering game of the present invention may be played with any convenient, traditional or non-traditional gaming format or gaming elements. For the purposes of this disclosure, xe2x80x9cgame elementsxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cgaming elementsxe2x80x9d means information and physical elements used by a player or dealer to participate in the game such as the face value of cards, the face value of a die or dice, slot symbols, angular positions on a wheel or reel game, cards (e.g., from a standard or non-standard playing deck), symbols on a reel, dice, tiles or the like. A preferred medium of play is with a single, typical (standard) fifty-two card poker deck (with or without jokers, or with cards removed as with Spanish Twenty-One(trademark) poker where tens are removed from the deck and other rules are instituted) and a specific preferred game broadly involves the generally well recognized and accepted set of rules, procedures and wager-resolving outcomes of five card poker.
The game method comprises each player placing an initial, multi-part wager, such as a two-part, three-part, four-part, or more-part wager to participate in the game. In one example of the invention, the number of parts of the wager may correspond to the number of game elements initially dealt, provided or revealed to the player. The game is initiated such as with dice being rolled (some or all of the dice in a bar game, for example), cards are dealt by a dealer or a portion of the game symbols comprising a game outcome are revealed in another manner, such as on a video or slot display. In a preferred game, the player places three equal wagers, and a dealer deals three player""s cards face down to each player and two community cards face down to the dealer. Players inspect or xe2x80x9csweatxe2x80x9d their cards, and the dealer asks xe2x80x9ctake it or leave it?xe2x80x9d with regard to the first part of the initial bet. Players can choose to retrieve or remove from play the first part of their initial bet, or leave the first part in play or at risk, based on their estimation of the value of the three cards in their hand. The dealer then turns over a first one of the dealer""s community cards and the dealer""s query is repeated with regard to the second part of the initial bet. Players can choose to retrieve or remove from play the second part of their initial bet or leave the second part in play or at risk, based on their perceived value of the four cards consisting of the three cards in the player""s hand and the exposed first dealer""s card. Players have no option with the third part of the bet. Finally, all cards are shown and the payouts and collections are resolved according to the ranking of the poker hand of each player, i.e., the players are not playing against each other or the dealer. This widely played game is known as Let It Ride(copyright) stud poker.
More specifically, the initial wager placed by each player comprises three equal parts and is made or placed before any cards are dealt. Each player is dealt three cards face down in the customary fashion (one-at-a-time or in groups of three cards). Two common cards are dealt face down in front of the dealer for use by all of the players. Each player will use the two common cards in front of the dealer in combination with his or her three cards to create a five card hand. After all players have placed their bets and received and examined their cards, each player is given the opportunity to retrieve the first one-third segment of the initial wager before the dealer reveals one of the two down cards previously placed in front of him. After all of the players have been queried and decided whether to xe2x80x9ctake it or leave itxe2x80x9d, the dealer turns one of the down cards face up. Each player now has the benefit of knowing the identity of four cards, the three he or she is holding down plus the first revealed common card, and the dealer again gives each player the opportunity to retrieve the second one-third segment of the beginning wager before exposing the second common down card. After the second common down card is revealed, the players turn up the three cards they are holding, thereby forming five-card poker hands made up of the three cards dealt to each player and the two dealer cards. The dealer examines each of the player""s hands and determines what payout, if any, each player is entitled to receive according to that player""s remaining wager and a preselected payout schedule. Payouts are made to players with winning hands and the losing wagers are collected. The cards are then reshuffled for the next hand.
A variation of this partial bet withdrawal method may be played with dice, where separate bet parts are associated with the roll of each die. For example, where a standard die with 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 dots on each face is used in Bar Dice, a separate bet may be associated with one or more of the individual dice. As each die stops turning or bouncing on a surface (in a real or virtual sense), or as each die is rolled and stops, the player may elect to withdraw one bet associated with that die or an adjacent die. Particularly where a dealer""s dice hand is already shown or is partially shown, a player may reconsider the likelihood of a win, and determine whether or not all of his bet parts should remain in play. It should be noted that the play of the game involves distinct bet parts in its preferred play, as opposed to a Surrender play in Twenty-One, where half of the original bet is surrendered and half the bet is withdrawn, with no continuation of the play of the game. In the partial bet withdrawal method, the play of the game continues with the potential for a player to win payouts on any bets remaining at the resolution of the game.
Apparatus is disclosed for playing the wagering game according to the method outlined above. A typical gaming table, with a playing surface, is modified to include specific areas that provide locations for placing the wagers and for displaying the common cards. A card shuffling machine, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,807,884 (invented by the inventor of the present invention and commonly owned) for facilitating and speeding the play of the wagering game may be used. A display device may be associated with the apparatus for displaying game information, such as common cards or pay tables, for example.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,437,462 describes a method of playing a wagering card game using actual or representations of standard face playing cards having a standard rank, said game involving standard poker hand rankings and comprising the steps of:
a player placing a wager to participate in the game;
providing cards for the player;
giving the player the chance to examine the cards received by the player and to withdraw at least part of said wager based on the rank of the player""s cards;
showing the player at least one common card, thereby providing a hand for the player, the player""s hand comprising said shown at least one common card and the cards the player received; and
resolving the player""s remaining wager, which was not withdrawn, based on the rank of the player""s hand.
In another form of the invention, the game is a variation of the Let It Ride(copyright) poker basic game described above (hereinafter referred to as the xe2x80x9cBasexe2x80x9d game) or the bonus game. In the xe2x80x9cBonusxe2x80x9d form of the game, the player has an option to make a side bet on the occurrence of certain predetermined card combinations. The card combinations that qualify for bonus payments are a subset of winning card combinations appearing on the pay table in the base game, commonly the highest raking card combinations. In the xe2x80x9cTournamentxe2x80x9d form of the game, an optional side bet is made. The player qualifies for bonus payouts as described in the Bonus form of the game. Additionally, for certain high ranking hands, such as a royal flush, the player qualifies to return and participate in a playoff event, as described in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 5,544,892, whose specification is incorporated by reference.
In another form of the invention, the Base or Bonus forms of the game are played with either a standard deck of cards including additional wild cards such as one, two or more jokers, or are played with a standard 52-card deck, with certain cards designated as wild.
In another form of the invention, the house collects a rake, and players take turns banking the game. Players are given the option of taking turns being the banker, and all player losses are collected and retained by the banker. In commercial card rooms, bankers are typically employees of companies who bank commercial card games.
It is one aspect of the present invention to provide an exciting and interesting wagering game. Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a wagering game that is easy to learn, largely being based on five card stud poker, wild card variants of five card poker games and the well known ranking of poker hands. It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a new variation of a well known wagering game, five card poker and wild card variants thereof, which is made interesting by providing the opportunity for players to make multiple wagers and decisions related to those wagers based on the progress of the game. Still another aspect of the present invention is to provide a wagering game that is easy to learn, yet demands skill of players in making strategic decisions about whether to let part of their bet remain at risk.
It is yet another aspect of the present invention to provide a unique, exciting card game for play in casinos or at home and on various media including casino tables, video poker machines, video lottery terminals or home computers.
It is an advantage of the game of the present invention that wagering decisions are inherent in the game. The game enhances player""s sense of participation and takes advantage of a players""inclination to let wagers remain at risk once placed. The game of the present invention advantageously creates a greater sense of control on the part of players, possibly resulting in the players wagering more money per hand.